Satellites implement many applications by using radio frequency (RF) communications to establish a link between an in-orbit payload and ground stations on Earth, for example, sensor and communications applications. Sensor applications use RF signals radiated from and received by the satellite to perform functions such as to detect weather, winds, temperature, and other earth science parameters. Communications applications include telecommunications relay services between earth terminals as well as telemetry and commands between the satellite and its payload and the ground controller. There are advantages in sensor and communication applications to having as large an antenna aperture as possible. For example, larger antenna apertures permit lower satellite transmitter output power to achieve the same ground RF power flux density, allow the satellite receiver to detect signals from lower power, more mobile ground transmitters, and reduce the antenna spot beam size to provide services over more concentrated areas, to reduce interference region size, and to permit more detailed earth science measurements over smaller regions.
In one particular example, if antenna gain is expressed as:
      G    =                  η        ⁡                  (                                    π              ⁢                                                          ⁢              D                        λ                    )                    2        ,where                η=Antenna efficiency        D=Antenna diameter        and λ=Wavelength,then increasing the diameter of the antenna aperture by a factor of four increases the gain by sixteen times, or 12 dB. The larger antenna aperture provides an equivalent communications service with one-sixteenth the transmitter power on the satellite, reducing heat, size, mass, primary power, and cost. Alternately, the same transmitter power can support sixteen times the data rate with equivalent bit error rate performance. The larger antenna aperture also allows the ground terminal uplink power to be reduced by a factor of sixteen, reducing heat and battery size or allows the ground terminal antenna to be reduced in size to increase mobility and provide communications on the move. Therefore, a larger antenna aperture provides an advantage to a satellite communications system.        
Generally, satellites are deployed in space using launch vehicles (e.g., rockets). Generally, the satellite is stowed within a fairing located as a top portion of the launch vehicle. A fairing is a structure that produces a smooth aerodynamic outline to reduce drag from air resistance. Once in space where there is no air to cause resistance, the fairing separates from the launch vehicle, freeing the satellite to deploy and maneuver to a stable orbit position.
The cost of launching a satellite is a major contributor to program costs, and the cost rises with the size (in particular the diameter) and mass of the satellite. Similarly, the satellite diameter generally increases with the size of the payload antenna aperture. A means of implementing a large aperture in the satellite deployed state while minimizing the stowed size thus minimizes the system cost while not sacrificing performance capability and has significant value.